As the Brooklyn Cyclones were just starting to put together a two-out rally against Yankees right-hander Branden Pinder, Cyclones right-fielder Javier Rodriguez sent a fly ball into right field that looked like it would fall in for a base hit but Staten Island right-fielder Ben Gamel had ideas of his own. Gamel flew thru the air and made an incredible diving catch to end the game and give the Staten Island Yankees their first win of the 2011 season.

Right-handed pitcher William Oliver, a 35th Round pick from last year’s draft, made the start for the Baby Bombers. Oliver struck out eight Cyclone batters but also allowed four hits and two walks in his four innings of work. He was relieved by Dustin Hobbs who earned the win throwing two innings allowing a run on a walk and two hits.

Staten Island was the first to put runs on the board in the contest. In the top of the fifth inning Ben Gamel started it off with a fly ball double to right and ten moved to third when Reymond Nunez singled to center. After a walk to Casey Stevenson loaded the bases, Shane Brown flew out to short-right field before Jhorge Liccien sent a sacrifice fly to deep right-field to bring in Gamel. Robert Rinard then lined a single to center to bring in Nunez, giving the Yankees a 2-0 lead.

The Yankees went to add an insurance run in the top of the sixth inning after Angelo Gumbs drew a one-out walk, stole second and moved to third on a ground out before scoring on a line drive single to center by Reymond Nunez. But in the bottom of the inning the Cyclones plated their first run after Richard Lucas singled and then scored on a Travis Taijeron double.

Phillip Wetherell came into the game to make his professional debut in the seventh inning. Wetherel allowed a hit and struck out two on 25 pitches, 14 for strikes. He was followed by Zach Arneson who also made his professional debut and struck out one in his inning on 11 pitches, 8 for strikes.

Brandon Pinder then came into the game for the ninth inning. After two quick outs Daniel Muno doubled to right then went to third on a wild pitch. He then came home on a single to center by Brandon Brown. Next up at the plate was Javier Rodriguez who was not an easy out for the Yankee pitcher. After seeing many pictures he sent the ball flying into right field where Ben Gamel made his incredible catch.

Tomorrow night these two teams will meet up again with New York Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes making his rehab start for the Staten Island Yankees. That game will start at 5:00.

In front of a sold out crowd at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark the Brooklyn Cyclones came from behind to earn a season series split with the Staten Island Yankees.

The Cyclones were the first to get on the board plating four runs in the first inning off of Yankees starter Mike Gipson.  After Darrell Ceciliani grounded out to second Wilfredo Tovar singled to short, stole second before Jeff Flah singled.  Jon Bonfe then sent a fly ball to left for an RBI single before J.B. Brown cleared the bases with a three-run homerun.

Gipson went two and two-third inning allowing four runs on four hits and walk while striking out four of the fourteen batters he faced.  He was relieved by Richard Martinez who went an inning and a third striking out three.

In the bottom of the third the Baby Bombers took advantage of some bad Brooklyn fielding to take the lead.  Kelvin Duran started it off with his first base hit with the Staten Island Yankees, a double to center.  He came around to score when Shane Brown singled to right and then advance to third on a throwing error by the right fielder.  Brown then scored when Casey Stevenson singled before Kelvin De Leon struck out.  Kyle Roller then reached on a failed force attempt when the shortstop committed a throwing error that allowed Stevenson to be face at second.  Newcomer Gary Sanchez then got his first base hit and RBI for Staten Island with a single that goes up the middle and bringing home Stevenson.  New third baseman Rob Segedin then double to center for his first Staten Island Yankees hit and RBI, scoring Kyle Roller while Gary Sanchez moved to third on the play.  Sanchez then scored the go ahead run when Luis Parache grounded out to the second baseman.

Daniel Burawa made his professional debut, the right-hander out of St. John’s University threw a shutout inning in relief allowing just a walk before Bryant Cotton took over on the hill.

Brooklyn would tie it up and take the lead in the top of the seventh inning.  James Schroeder started it off with a fly ball single to left and then went to third on a double to left by Darrell Ceciliani.  Bother would come around to score when Wilfredo Tovar singled to right field, giving the Cyclones a 6-5 lead.

Cotton was touched for just those two runs on four hits and a walk.  He struck out two of the ten batters he faced.  Andrew Shive took over for the eighth inning pitching a perfect inning in relief before allowing a run in the ninth on a hit and two walks.

Casey Stevenson led off the ninth inning for the Baby Bombers and on the fourth pitch he saw he launched the ball to the right of the Richmond County Bank Ballpark batter’s eye for a homerun.  After Kelvin De Leon popped up to the catcher before Kyle Roller worked a walk on five pitches.  Designated hitter Gary Sanchez struck out on a check swing before Rob Segedin grounded out to second to end the game.

Bryant Cotton took the loss for the Staten Island Yankees while Brooklyn pitcher Wesley Wrenn earned the win.  Friday night Staten Island travels up to Connecticut to face off with the Connecticut Tigers in a three-game series.  Zachary Varce, Shane Greene and Mikey O’Brien are expected to make the starts in that series.

In the tenth inning and in front of a sold out crowd Staten Island Yankees outfielder Kelvin De Leon sent a fly ball up into the air and over the left-field fence with two runners on base and a 3-2 count for a walk-off three-run homerun making him the hero of the day.

That homerun broke a game that was deadlocked at one run a piece since the top of the sixth inning.

The Staten Island Yankees were the first to get on the board in the game, plating a single run in the first inning without recording a base hit.  Eduardo Sosa walked then stole second and third base.  On an errant throw to third by the catcher Sosa came home giving the Yankees a one-run lead.

In the top of the sixth inning the Mahoning Valley Scrappers plated their only run of the game off of the Staten Island starter Mikey O’Brien.  O’Brien threw six innings allowing just three hits and struck out two out of the twenty batters he faced.

Eduardo Sosa was taken out of the game in the top of the fifth.  He appeared to injury himself sliding into third base with what should have been his third steal of the game.  The umpire called him safe at third but he stood up in foul territory after the play was ended and was tagged out.

Bryant Cotton pitched a scoreless inning out of the bullpen allowing a hit and a walk before Preston Claiborne went two shutout innings allowing a couple hits and striking out five.  Chase Whitley earned the win throwing a shutout tenth inning.

In the bottom of the tenth Garrison Lassiter worked a leadoff walk before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jeff Farnham.  The Scrappers then intentionally walked Luis Parache to pitch to right-fielder Kelvin De Leon who came in as a defensive replacement in the fifth inning.  After working the count full De Leon sent the ball into the wind, which was blowing to left-field, for his fifth homerun of the season giving the Yankees a 4-1 win and avoiding the sweep.

Notes: Friday the Staten Island Yankees will be heading to Troy, NY to take on the Tri-City Valley Cats for a three-game set before the All-Star Break.  Nik Turley, Kramer Sneed and Zachary Varce are scheduled to pitch for the Baby Bombers.  Eduardo Sosa is not expected to be available for the game.  Yankees 12th round pick Dan Burawa joined the team today, wearing number 38.  The St. John’s University product will pitch out of the bullpen this season.

In front of over 5,000 people at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George the Staten Island Yankees go back to winning when they defeated the visiting Williamsport Crosscutters, 6-5.

The Yankees fell behind early when the Crosscutters plated a single run in the top of the first inning.  However Staten Island took their first lead of the night when they plated two runs of their own in their half of the first.  Shane Brown started it off with a line drive single to right before moving to second on another single by Kyle Roller.  Brown scored and Roller would move over to third when Staten Island right-fielder Kelvin De Leon doubled on a fly ball to right field.  Mike Ferraro then grounded out to the shortstop to bring home Roller and give the Yankees the 2-1 lead.

Williamsport tied the game up in the top of the third, but the tie would not last long as the Baby Bombers came back again in their half of the inning.  Eduardo Sosa reached first on a fielding error then stole second but was caught stealing at third base when he collided with the Crosscutter third baseman.  Shane Brown then walked and went to second on a Kyle Roller single.  After a strike out by Kelvin De Leon Mike Ferraro would single up the left field line for his second RBI of the night when Brown came across the plate.

In the bottom of the fourth the Yankees plated another run Jose Mojica started it off with an infield single to third base and went to second when Luis Parache singled.  Yankees catcher Jeff Farnham was next up and he laid down a bunt in an attempt to sacrifice the runners over but the pitcher was able to field the ball and throw out Mojica at third for a force out.  With runners at first and second Eduardo Sosa struck out swinging for the second out before Shane Brown doubled to right to bring home Mojica.  That gave Staten Island a 4-2 lead.

The Baby Bombers cemented their lead in bottom of the fifth when they plated their last two runs of the game.  Mike Ferraro singled with one-out before Jose Mojica had a two-out RBI double to centerfield.  Luis Parache was up next and he reached on a fielding error by the shortstop that allowed Mojica to come all the way home to score.

Williamsport added one more run to their line score in the top of the sixth but were unable to get anything going against the Staten Island relievers.

Starting the game and getting the win for the Staten Island Yankees was the left-hander Nik Turley.  Turley had a quality start going six innings allowing three runs on six hits and a walk.  He struck out five out of the 24 batters he faced.  He was followed by right-handers Nathan Forer, Tommy Kahnle and Chase Whitley who each threw a shutout inning a piece.  Whitley earned his eleventh save of the season when he pitched the ninth.

Monday night will be the rubber game of the series with left-hander Kramer Sneed taking the mound for Staten Island.

Notes: Catcher Francisco Arcia is officially out for the year with a broken finger after taking two fouls off of it last week.  He left the team after the game to go back to his home.  It is not known who will replace him on the roster yet.

The Staten Island Yankees improved their season record against the cross-town rival Brooklyn Cyclones with a 8-7 victory to give them six wins over them this season.

Shane Brown had two hits two RBIs - Photo Credit: Robert M Pimpsner

Staten Island was the first to get on the board and never looked back. In the top of the first inning the Yankees plated five runs off of Brooklyn starting pitcher Chris Hillard. Eduardo Sosa led off the game with a fly ball single to centerfield and then stole second base. After a strike out by Casey Stevenson, Kevin Mahoney grounded out to second to move Sosa to third. The Baby Bomber Designated Hitter Kyle Roller was next and he grounded the ball up the middle for an RBI single. Roller went to second when catcher Francisco Arcia singled to left. Jose Mojica then walked to load the bases for Shane Brown who doubled to left to bring home Roller and Arcia. With two runners in scoring position Luis Parache hit a fly ball to left field for a two-RBI single.

In the top of the third inning the Yankees plated another run. Kyle Roller started the inning with a ground ball double to left, went to third on a ground out by Francisco Arcia and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Jose Mojica.

Bryant Cotton earned his first professional win - Photo Credit: Robert M Pimpsner

Starting the game for Staten Island was right-handed pitcher Zachary Varce. Varce pitched four innings allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out three. Bryant Cotton took over on the mound in the fifth inning for Varce. Cotton pitched two shutout innings allowing just a hit and a walk while striking out two to earn his first professional win.

In the top of the seventh inning the Baby Bombers added two more insurance runs after Kevin Mahoney doubled and Kyle Roller hit a bomb to left-centerfield.

Mike Recchia came into the game to pitch the bottom of the seventh. He was touched four three runs on three hits with all the runs scoring on a homerun by Brian Harrison. The Staten Island closer Chase Whitley came into the game for the bottom of the eighth inning. Whitey pitched two shutout innings to earn his eighth save of the season, allowing two hits while striking out three.

Shane Brown had two hits and two RBIs in the game while Eduardo Sosa, Kevin Mahoney, Francisco Arcia and Luis Parache have the other four Staten Island base hits.

Monday night these two teams will end their four-game series at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George with right-hander Shane Greene expected to make the start for Staten Island.

The Staten Island Yankees dropped their third straight game to the cross-town rival Brooklyn Cyclones, falling to 16-15 for the season and six games behind first.

Nik Turley pitching - Photo Credit: Robert M Pimpsner

Nik Turley was charged with the loss, allowing eight earned runs on nine hits and two errors and striking out three Cyclones in three and two third innings.  Turley has struggled a bit in his last two starts, allowing a total of 15 runs, 12 earned, and 15 hits over 9 innings.

Nathan Forer allowed two runs, one earned, over his two and a third innings of work before Preston Claiborne struck out all three batters he faced for a perfect inning in relief.  Right-handed pitcher Andrew Shive made his Staten Island Yankees return after sitting out the 2009 season because of Tommy John surgery.  He allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in an inning of work.

The Baby Bombers plated their first runs in the top of the second inning, taking an early lead.  Kyle Roller singled on a ground ball to right field and then stole second with one out before Shane Brown sent a fly ball over the left field fence for his second homerun of the 2010 season.

Garrison Lassiter had two hits - Photo Credit: Robert M Pimpsner

Brooklyn took a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the second and then added three more runs in the bottom of the fourth before Staten Island placed a five spot of their own on the board in the top of the fifth inning.  Jose Mojica started it off reaching on a throwing error by the second baseman and then went to third when Casey Stevenson singled with one out.  After Mojica scored on a sacrifice fly by Francisco Arcia Kelvin De Leon reached on a fielding error by the shortstop.  Stevenson then scored and De Leon went to thrid when Kyle Roller reached on a fielding error by the second baseman before Kevin Mahoney was hit by the pitch.  De Leon and Roller came around to score when Shane Brown grounded a ball to left field.  Garrison Lassiter singled to right to bring in Mahoney and the Yankees had their seven runs of the game.

Garrison Lassiter, Shane Brown, and Kyle Roller each had two hits apiece in the game.

The biggest defensive mistake for the Yankees came in the bottom of the sixth inning with two-outs.  With a man on first Jeff Flagg lined the ball to left field for a double, the entire Yankees infield along with the pitcher and catcher was on the left side when Shane Brown threw the ball to second base with no one to cover, allowing the run to score and Flagg to end up at third.  Staten Island right-fielder Kelvin De Leon had to come in from right field to retrieve the ball before Flagg could score.

Tonight night the Staten Island Yankees and Brooklyn Cyclones face off in the second game of the series with right-hander Mike Gipson expected to make the start for Staten Island.

In a long three hour and thirteen minute game the Staten Island Yankees fell to the visiting Hudson Valley Renegades to lose their second straight game.

The Staten Island Yankees started the scoring off in the bottom of the second inning when catcher Francisco Arcia sent a fly ball over the right-field fence for his second homerun of the season.

Mikey O'Brien threw 84 pitches over 4 innings - Photo Credit: Robert M Pimpsner

Hudson Valley responded by plating two runs of their own in the top of the third inning off of Yankees starter Mikey O’Brien.  O’Brien was credited with his first loss of the season as he allowed another two runs in the top of the fourth inning, only three of the runs were earned on three hits, five walks while striking out just one on 84 pitches.

Staten Island added a run to their line score in the bottom of third inning.  Luis Parache doubled to center before going to third base after Casey Stevenson struck out and was thrown out at first after the ball got away.  Kelvin De Leon was up next and he sent the ball into left field for an RBI single.

Wilton Rodriguez came into the game to pitch for the Yankees in the top of the fifth inning.  He allowed two runs in the fifth inning.  Rodriguez threw a total of three innings allowing those three runs on three hits, two walks and striking out two.

Kevin Mahoney hit his fifth homer - Photo Credit: Robert M Pimpsner

In the bottom of the sixth inning the Staten Island Yankees added another run when Kevin Mahoney hit a solo-homerun to right field.  The fourth Yankees run in the bottom of the seventh.  Casey Stevenson and Kelvin De Leon earned back-to-back walks to start off the inning.  After a pitching change and two outs Francisco Arcia lined the ball into left to plate Stevenson and cut the Renegade lead to three runs.

Mike Recchia took over on the hill for the Staten Island Yankees in the eighth inning throwing a scoreless eighth allowing a hit.  Chase Whitley took over for the ninth inning with a perfect inning of relief.

Tomorrow night the Staten Island Yankees travel across the Verrazano Bridge to start a four-game home-and-home series with the Brooklyn Cyclones.  Nik Turley is expected to start the first game of the series.

Notes: Andrew Shive was assigned the Staten Island Yankees from the Charleston RiverDogs.  Shive is coming back from Tommy John surgery that he had after the 2008 season.

Staten Island Yankees starting pitcher Mike Gipson threw six-no hit innings but lost the bid for history in the sixth inning when he allowed two consecutive base-hits to the Lake Monsters.

Gipson entered the rotation on June 29 taking the spot of Samuel Elam after opening the season in the bullpen.  He went six innings to earn his first professional victory allowing just a run on two hits and striking out for while not walking anyone.

Kyle Roller File Photo - Credit: Robert M Pimpsner

The Staten Island offense was lead by the middle of the order as Kelvin De Leon, Kyle Roller and Kevin Mahoney collected two hits apiece.  However ever member of the Staten Island Yankees lineup did collect a base hit in the game as they hit a combined 12 off of one of the best pitching staffs in the league.  Kevin Mahoney had three-RBIs thanks to a three-run home run in the sixth.

The scoring began in the top of the second after Kyle Roller doubled to left to lead off the inning and went to third when Francisco Arcia grounded out with an out on the board.  Shane Brown then singled to center to bring him in and give the Yankees an early 1-0 lead.

Staten Island added another run in the top of the third inning.  Jeff Farnham lined a single to left to start off the inning, and then went to second when Kelvin De Leon singled with two outs before scoring on an RBI single to right by Kyle Roller.

The biggest inning for the Yankees was the top of the fifth.  Casey Stevenson started it off with a fly ball homerun to right field then Kelvin De Leon singled, and stole second with one out.  Kevin Mahoney walked to put men at first and second before Francisco Arcia singled to right scoring De Leon and moving Mahoney to third.  With men at the corners and only one out the Lake Monsters went to the bullpen for a reliever.  Francisco Arcia went running, stealing second base and an errant throw by the pitcher that went all the way into the corner allowed Mahoney and Arcia to score.

Kevin Mahoney File Photo - Credit: Robert M Pimpsner

Staten Island added three more in the top of the sixth inning.  Eduardo Sosa doubled to start the inning before Kelvin De Leon worked a one-out walk.  After a pop out to second, Kevin Mahoney lined a shot over the right-field fence for his fourth homerun of the season and giving the Yankees a 9-0 lead.

The insurance runs proved useful as the Lake Monsters touched Yankees relievers Richard Martinez and Manny Barreda for five runs in an inning and two-thirds.  Preston Claiborne finished up the game for Staten Island pitching an inning and a third of perfect baseball, striking out two and earning his second save of the season.

Tomorrow night the Staten Island Yankees and the Vermont Lake Monsters will face off in the rubber game of the three game set with Zachary Varce expected to take the hill for the Baby Bombers.

Notes: The first and only no-hitter in Staten Island Yankees took place on July 27, 2001 when pitcher Jason Arnold pitched nine-innings to no-hit the Vermont Expos at Centennial Field in Vermont.

STATEN ISLAND, NY – In front of an intimate crowd of 1,930 fans the Staten Island Yankees fell to the visiting Batavia Muckdogs in fifteen innings.  By the end of the night only a few people remained and they were treat to the pitching debuts of a couple of the Yankees position players.

Nik Turley started the game for the Baby Bombers allowing two runs to score, one in the first and another in the third, on three this and two walks.  He struck out four out of the 17 batters he faced on 81 pitches.

The Yankees were able to come back and tie the game up in the bottom of the fourth inning.  Kyle Roller started it off reaching first base on a hit by pitch and then came around to score thanks to a fly ball double to right field by Staten Island right fielder Kelvin De Leon.  After a pitching chance and a strike out De Leon came around to score when catcher Francisco Arcia had a double to right field.

Manny Barreda came into the game in the fifth inning pitching two shutout innings allowing just a hit and striking out three.  Nathan Forer was after him throwing two perfect innings, striking out three batters.

In the bottom of the ninth inning Staten Island attempted a rally.  Shane Brown worked a walk before moving to second on a perfectly placed bunt by Luis Parache.  After a passed ball moved Parache over to third Eduardo Sosa was hit on the elbow.  The Yankees trainer came out and looked at him at first base but he stayed in the game.  Sosa then stole second base to put two runners in scoring position with two outs.

Preston Claiborne came into the game to pitch the ninth inning but went two innings for the Yankees.  Claiborne allowed a hit and walk while striking out three of the six batters.  Chase Whitley took over on the mound for the eleventh inning; he walked two and struck out one.

Because the Yankees pitching staff has been used up the past couple games Josh Paul brought in catcher Jeffrey Farnham to pitch the twelfth inning.  Farnham had two strikeouts and four walks in two innings before Kevin Mahoney took over.  Farnham went to play third with Shane Brown going to second base.

Kevin Mahoney had a scoreless 14^th inning but had to work out of bases loaded trouble.  In the top of the 15^th he allowed four runs, including a three-run homerun to left field for the loss.

In the bottom of the fifteenth inning the Yankees plated some more runs.  Kyle Roller reached base thanks to an error by the Batavia second baseman.  Kevin Mahoney then had a RBI double to right field for the third run.  Francisco Arcia then lined the ball over the right field fence to make it a one-run game.  Shane Brown then worked a walk with two outs before a pitching change.  Luis Parache grounded the ball to the first baseman for the final out of the game.

Game Photo Gallery

The Staten Island Yankees continued their hot play has they won their eighth straight game and moved 2.5 games above the cross-town Brooklyn Cyclones to become the team with the second best record in the New York-Penn League.

Making his first start of the season for the Staten Island Yankees after being called up from the Gulf Coast League was the left-hander Nik Turley.  Turley had a very strong outing pitching six innings of one run ball, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out six batters.  That lone run came in the second inning.  Turley is sure to contribute to a very strong pitching rotation that has seen terrific outings as of late by Shane Greene and consistent solid outings by Mikey O’Brien.

The Baby Bombers plated their first run in the top of the third inning to tie the game up at one.  Isaiah Brown led off with a walk and then went to third on a one-out single to right by Eduardo Sosa.  Shane Brown was next at the plate and he sent a fly ball to left field that plated Isaiah Brown and tie the game up at one run.

Staten Island would take the lead in the top of the fifth inning.  With two-outs Eduardo Sosa worked a walk to bring Shane Brown to the plate.  Brown then sent the ball over the left field fence for a two-run homerun, his first homerun of the season.

In the top of the seventh inning the Yankees plated two more runs.  Eduardo Sosa lead off the inning working a walk and then stole second and went to third on a throwing error by the catcher.  After a strike out he scored on a line drive single to left by Kyle Roller.  The bases would then be loaded with bases after Kelvin De Leon and Kevin Mahoney worked back-to-back walks.  The second run came when Nick McCoy grounded out to second to bring home Roller.

Richard Martinez took over on the mound for the Staten Island Yankees in the seventh inning.  He got into trouble walking the bases loaded but sandwiched two strikeouts in between the walks before getting a ground out to end the inning.

Bryant Cotton pitched the eighth inning and got into some trouble.  With one-out he gave up back-to-back singles to Andy Fermin and Carlos Perez before striking out Stephen McQuail.  Joseph Bowen then homered to right-field to score three runs and make it a one-run ballgame.

Staten Island closer Chase Whitley was next on the mound for the Yankees, coming into the game with a one-run lead in the ninth.  He got into some trouble and was credited with a blown save when he allowed a run on one hit and a walk.

With two-outs in the top of the tenth inning the Staten Island Yankees took the lead for the final time in the game.  Luis Parache reached on a fielding error by the right-fielder that also allowed him to go all the way around to third.  He then scored the go ahead and winning run for the Baby Bombers when Eduardo Sosa singled on a fly ball to left field.

Chase Whitley was awarded the win and Mike Recchia pitched the bottom of the tenth inning to earn his first save.

The Staten Island Yankees and the rest of the New York-Penn League will now enjoy a rare off day before returning to the Richmond County Bank Ballpark on Thursday night to face the Tri-City Valley Cats.